Losing Grip
by PercabethAndZebrasFTW
Summary: After a lot of convincing from Chiron, Annabeth finally decides to spend Christmas with her Dad in San Francisco. But when she arrives, they realize that something is definitely wrong. Her family notices significant changes in her personality, behavior, and appearance. Why is she acting like this? Set when Percy is missing. TITLE USED TO BE WINTER BREAK!
1. Chapter 1

_Ringgg!_

"Okay, you're dismissed! Have a great Winter Break!" our English teacher, Mrs. Williams, called out.

Oh gods, Winter Break. I would be boarding a plane to San Francisco in just a few hours.

To be honest, I was kind of nervous. I hadn't even been planning on visiting my family this year, since I had to work on the Argo II, but Chiron insisted I need a "break from camp." Which was probably code for "I know you're acting weird because of Percy's disappearance, so you should spend time with your dad to forget about him."

I was just worried that Leo would screw up something, and then it would take even longer to build that dreaded ship. They needed all the help they could get. But, it was no use arguing with Chiron.

I hadn't realized I was still in the classroom until Mrs. Williams cleared her throat to get my attention. I hurriedly got up out of my seat, dumped my books into my locker, and headed back to my dorm to try to find something productive to do for the rest of the day.

As I walked by, I tried to block out the squeals and giggles that were coming from the other girls. They were all talking about how _fun_ their Winter Break was going to be.

"Ohmugod, you're going to the Bahamas? _No way_!"

"Psh, that's nothing, I'm going to Paris!"

"Well, I bet none of you are going skiing in Switzerland!"

"Ha! I'm going to ANTARTICA!"

"You're so stupid, Bethany, it's AUSTRALIA."

I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to yell at the bubble headed, clueless girls that flooded the hallway.

Attempting to clear my head, I went over my checklist for things I needed for the trip. I always forgot something whenever I went on a trip somewhere, so I hoped I wouldn't forget something again this time.

_Dagger, ambrosia and nectar, tops, jeans, toothbrush, money, underwear, hairbrush, laptop, presents- _PRESENTS! I forgot to pack all the Christmas presents.

I speed-walked through the hallway and pushed past people until I found my dorm, number 651. I rapped on the door hurriedly, not wanting to stand out with the girls for another minute. There was no answer. I stuffed my hands in my pockets and fumbled with my key, inserted it in the lock, and quickly shut the door before any of Mia's friends barged in and started squealing again.

"Mia?" I called out, looking around our tiny room. She wasn't sprawled out on her bed or rapidly texting on her phone like she usually was, which was pretty strange.

I shrugged my shoulders and pulled out my laptop, which was buried underneath the piles and piles of blueprints, old homework, and stacks of architecture books that were messily thrown on my desk. If I were at camp, I would have surely failed my cabin investigation.

Just as I was about to turn on the power button of my laptop, Mia flew into the room as if she was being chased by someone, slammed the door shut, and locked it in less than five seconds.

"Uh, what the heck are you doing?" I asked, giving her a confused look.

"Had to run away from the preps," she panted, catching her breath. "I was going to take a shower, but I couldn't even make it to the bathroom. Everybody's freaking out over Winter Break. I don't see what the big deal is."

She rolled her eyes and plopped down on her bed, which was parallel to mine. Throwing her un-used towel and shampoo on the ground, she kicked off her shoes and spread out her legs across the top of her mattress.

I laughed. "Yeah, me neither. Winter Break. Whoop-de-doo."

"At least your dad likes you. I'm pretty sure my parents still hate me," she muttered.

Mia had a tendency to exaggerate things.

Not wanting to discuss our mutual family problems any longer, I attempted to change the subject.

"When's your flight?" I blurted.

She arched an eyebrow. "I think it's at six-fifteen. When's yours?"

"Six-thirty. I guess we'll just leave together." I smiled.

"Hey, do you think they have any cute guys in Colorado?" she asked excitedly, completely changing the subject. Anything that had to do with boys immediately cheered her up.

"I don't know. I've never been there. Besides, didn't you say you were going to take a break from guys?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows.

"I changed my mind. I need something to do while I'm there, right?"

"You're going skiing."

Mia snorted. "Yay, skiing with my parents, my sister, and my brother. So fun," she said sarcastically. "I'm going to have the time of my life."

I was about to reply with some smart comment, until my eyes landed on my suitcase, which was leaning against the wall plastered with sketches of Olympus. I suddenly remembered my ADHD moment in the hallway a few minutes before, when I was going over my checklist and had remembered that I still hadn't packed the presents. I leapt off the bed and knelt down to pull out the gifts that were hidden underneath it.

I had gotten my dad a book on old war airplanes, an iPad Hermes had given me, and a mysterious package Athena had told me to give him. I had no idea what was inside. I bought Susan a necklace and pair of earrings that Mia said were "absolutely gorgeous," and Matthew and Bobby Mythomagic cards and some game I had recalled them talking about. Considering I had no idea what they might want, it took me days to figure out what they would like.

"Oh my gosh, _Annabeth Chase_ forgot to do something? It's a miracle!" Mia teased as she watched me pull out the presents.

"Shut up," I laughed, rolling my eyes. "I'm a human, aren't I?"

Well, I was also half goddess, but she didn't need to know that…

I packed all of the brightly wrapped presents neatly in the remaining space in the suitcase and zipped it shut. I placed it back against the wall and picked up my laptop again, which I had forgotten to turn on when Mia had barged into the room.

"Annabeth?" Mia asked. "Yeah?" I replied, looking up from the laptop. She was painting her toenails a bunch of different colors.

She bit her lip. "You were talking about someone in your sleep the other day. And you sounded really mad. Who's Hera?"

I froze. What other things did I say in my sleep? She could have figured out everything about demigods, and that wasn't a problem I wanted to deal with.

"Um, she's a really rude girl I knew in California," I lied. "I can't stand her."

"Oh."

"So, what other things did you hear?" I asked nervously.

She tapped her chin as she thought. "Um, something about your boyfriend and a person named Gaea. You must have some really messed up dreams."

I held back a sigh of relief as I realized that she knew nothing about Greek mythology. Most mortals these days didn't even know any of the gods or goddesses, which helped demigods keep their cover.

For the next few hours, Mia went on and on about something while I researched things about Rome on Daedalus' laptop. Before I knew it, it was already ten, so I figured I should try to get a few hours of sleep before my flight. I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in months, so there was really no point of me even attempting to get some rest, but there was nothing else to do. Reading about Roman ways of torture just made me even more worried about Percy, and my stupid dyslexia practically killed my eyes.

"Good night, Annabeth," Mia yawned, pulling me out of my trance.

"'Night, Mia," I mumbled, resting my head on my pillow.

And so I slept (not very peacefully), my mind flooded with thoughts about what troubles I might face the next day, and of course, Percy.

**A/N: Sorry it was short! This was just the introductory chapter though. I'll hopefully have a longer chapter next time. So, make sure to REVIEW! I need to know if anybody is actually reading this. I also accept PM's. Flames welcome! Any OOC-ness? Suggestions? Tell me!**


	2. Airport

I woke up to the wonderful sound of Mia yelling in my ear.

"ANNABETH! WAKE UP! WE'RE GOING TO MISS OUR FLIGHT!"

I groaned and lazily lifted my head up from my comfortable pillow, glaring at Mia for waking me up from my slumber. "Can't you wake me up like a normal person?"

"Nope. Now, come on! It's four o' clock! We have to be there two hours early, right?" she said with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

I stood up and stretched, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes while trudging to the bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth hurriedly while going over the flight information in my head.

Once I finished, Mia and I switched places and I rummaged around in my dresser while she did her business in the bathroom. I picked out an old pair of jeans, a random t-shirt, and my worn out converse. Comfortable, but casual. Perfect for a plane ride.

I got dressed quickly, not wanting to waste any time. I put my hair up in a high ponytail, not even bothering to brush it. My knife was strapped to my calf, hidden by my jeans. I planned on using the Mist to let the baggage checkers let me take my knife. It really wasn't a threat, considering it only killed monsters and demigods. It passes right through mortals. If the Mist didn't work, I would just have to put it in my bag, take it out in baggage check, wait for it to go through the conveyer belt, put it back in, and go through the metal detector thing that looked like a doorway.

All because of a knife that couldn't even harm a mortal.

I made sure I had my plane ticket ready and waited for Mia to get out of the bathroom. When she finally got out, we both picked up our luggage and ran to the elevator. Neither of us wanted to risk missing our flight. We squeezed into the tiny elevator, breathing sighs of relief.

"Are you excited?" Mia asked, her blue eyes showing signs of nervousness.

"Yeah, I guess. Kind of nervous," I replied frankly.

Mia nodded her head in agreement, biting her lip. The old elevator doors finally opened, and we rolled our suitcases out of the lobby. We were immediately met with the sounds of loud, honking horns, car tires screeching, and bright lights. Through all the traffic, I managed to spot a taxi, and we motioned for it to approach us. As soon as he reached us, he got out of the car and took our bags, placing them in the trunk. Mia and I both ignored his disturbing wink.

"So, where to?" the taxi driver asked, grinning.

"John F. Kennedy Airport," I answered swiftly.

He nodded his head and started driving. I glanced at Mia, who was drumming her fingers against her legs anxiously.

"So, when are you coming back?" I asked.

"Um, January third. What about you?"

"January fifth. One day before school starts again."

Awkwardness was clearly in the air. We were both nervous, wondering what our parents would say when they saw us. Mia didn't have as many family problems as me, because she never ran away for five years, but she still had little problems. She wasn't very close with her parents, and they had lots of little disputes. Well, you see, Mia has a little, uh, obsession with boys. She didn't sleep with them of course, just little dates. She wasn't a slut. She just liked boys. A lot.

I fiddled around with my ring, watching the colors shift to different shades of blues and greens. It was like the sea. Also like a certain someone's eyes….

_Stop! You promised you wouldn't think about him, _I told myself.

I sighed and looked out the window. Despite it being four in the morning, there were still many cars in the streets. I smiled as I remembered Percy telling me about how New York was restless as he gave me a little "tour" around the city.

Before I knew it, we arrived at the airport. I paid the taxi driver, despite Mia insisting she should pay instead. As we entered, I was overwhelmed by all the people around us. Swarms of people were rushing to their flights, some crowded around the elevator, others screaming at the airport employees about delayed planes. How on earth am I supposed to go through security, get my bags weighed, and get on the plane on time?

I was relieved to see that Mia was still standing next to me, and not lost in the crowd.

"Where do we go first?" Mia asked, still staring at the state of the busy airport.

"Um, I think we have to get our bags weighed," I answered while walking towards the line for weighing bags.

Mia followed, getting in line next to me. The line was moving painfully slow, probably moving an inch a minute. _This is going to take FOREVER._

While waiting, I looked around. There were a bunch of people from unusual, different countries, some business people, and some girls that appeared to be models, with their insanely tall high heels, short dresses, and designer luggage. There were lots of couples, some reuniting, kissing and hugging like they didn't care that people were staring, and some people who were crying, not wanting to say goodbye. I looked away from the couples, not wanting to be reminded yet again of that certain person that wouldn't leave my mind.

A few agonizing minutes later, we finally reached the front of the line. I set my suitcase onto the scale, hoping that I hadn't over packed. Thankfully, the scale only read 18.5. The limit was twenty, so I was good. The man motioned for me to go, and I found Mia waiting for me a few feet away from security. I took a deep breath, praying to the gods that my plan to hide my knife would work. Mia looked at me questionably, probably wondering why the heck I was nervous about security, but she shrugged it off.

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah, yeah, I know it's a pretty crappy ending, but I felt like I had to stop it somewhere. Anyway, REVIEW! Flames welcome! Constructive criticism welcome also! Any suggestions, complaints, or questions? PM me or say something in a review! Reviews make me smile, which makes me write another chapter! XD Answer the question of the day, please!**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY: What are some things I need to improve on? Any things I am good at? TELL ME! :D**


	3. Are You Serious?

**A/N: Enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: Ughh, my parents got my present wrong AGAIN! They said it was too much work to go to San Antonio to ask Rick for the rights to PJatO. *sighs* :D**

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><p><em>I took a deep breath, praying to the gods that my plan to hide my knife would work. Mia looked at me questionably, probably wondering why the heck I was nervous about security, but she shrugged it off.<em>

I slowly approached the conveyer belts, hesitating about my plan. _Should I try the Mist first? Yeah, I should. It wouldn't be as suspicious as my second plan, _I thought to myself.

"Ma'am, can you please take off your shoes and jacket? You also need to put your suitcase on the conveyer belt," A very impatient man awoke me from my daze.

I did as I was told and took off my shoes and jacket, placing them in the plastic bin. I lifted my suitcase and set it next to the bin, biting my nervously as I thought about my dagger.

The man motioned for me to walk through the metal detector while I eyed my leg, praying to the gods to let me have a peaceful flight and for the Mist to work. I took a deep breath and walked through it, closing my eyes, waiting for the dreaded ringing.

It started beeping like crazy. I guess Celestial Bronze is very detectable. Who knew?

"Miss, can you please step out? Ashley here will have to pat you down," he said while motioning to a young girl next to him. The man's voice was as hard as steel.

Did I really look like a rebellious teenager who carried a gun around to kill people? Monsters yes, people no. Well, I did want to kill Hera. But she isn't human.

"You don't need to pat me down," I tried to say in a demanding voice while snapping my fingers in front of their faces. I attempted to imitate Thalia, giving them her famous death glare.

They both had a look of confusion on their face, probably wondering why they suddenly changed their mind.

The woman, Ashley, spoke first. "Yeah, we don't need to pat you down. I don't even know why we were going to anyway. You can go," she said while looking to the man for approval.

He slowly nodded his head, unsure, as he narrowed his eyes.

I grabbed my shoes and jacket from the bin, lifted my bag from the conveyer belt, and waited for the man that checked my bag to let me go. He motioned for me to go and I hurriedly left, not wanting for them to change their minds, and found Mia waiting for me over by the crowded seats. She had a look of disbelief on her face.

"H-How did you do that? Are you a witch or a wizard or something? You snapped your fingers and they just suddenly changed their minds and everything!" she whisper-yelled, probably extremely confused by what she had just saw.

I bit my lip and came up with an answer off the top of my head. "Uhh, the thing was broken so it beeped for no reason and I just snapped my fingers to emphasize that."

She shook her head,not even bothering to argue with me. Mia was used to my excuses. I had made a lot when she asked me about anything relating to the gods.

I followed her while she looked around for empty seats in the incredibly packed airport. We were swarmed by crowds of frantic people running to catch their flights.

I looked at the time on one of the huge screens that showed the flight information. It read: 5:57 AM. Thirty-three minutes until my flight, eighteen minutes until Mia's.

We were both exhausted, having spent about two hours in the airport. For some people that may seem long just for weighing bags and going through security, but this was JFK airport. In New York. It was insanely huge and crowded, and you could get lost really easily.

Mia and I were _still_ running around looking for seats. People were giving us dirty looks, as if we were two teenagers just looking for trouble. The only thing we were interested in looking for were some stupid seats.

"Forget it Annabeth, we're just wasting time. Let's just sit on the floor or something," she said while setting down her suitcase and sitting on it. I was about to protest, but shut my mouth and followed her example.

So we just sat there, sitting on our suitcases, probably crushing our presents, but we were tired and neither of us really cared. I fidgeted around, needing to move, my ADHD acting up again. I settled with playing an architecture game Hermes had designed just for me. Yeah, yeah, I know, you might think that that would attract monsters, but Hephaestus made a tiny chip to put into your phone that would let us use phones without a single monster coming near us. I silently thanked Hephaestus for that, and thanked Hermes also for creating phones and my special little game.

I snuck a look at Mia and saw that she was occupying herself by reading a brochure for what seemed to be a ski resort. It was funny how she would be spending her Winter Break skiing while I was going to be staying in sunny California.

My thoughts were interrupted by a woman's voice.

"_All passengers boarding the plane to Denver, Colorado please report to gate B6. I repeat, all passengers boarding the plane to Denver, Colorado please report to gate B6."_

Mia and I got off our squished suitcases and lifted them up, searching with our eyes for her gate.

Mia started muttering the gate numbers as she passed them by, frantically looking for the right one. I squinted, trying to spot anything except for people's heads.

"I found it! Gate B6!" Mia announced proudly.

She quickly stepped into the line before it got too long. It seemed like a quarter of the whole airport was going to be on that one plane. _I guess people really like skiing._ I stood by the line, wanting to say goodbye one last time before she boarded the plane. The line was moving surprisingly fast. In just a few minutes, Mia was already showing the woman her ticket and boarding pass. The woman then attached a tag to her suitcase. Mia looked at me, held out her arms, and enveloped me in a hug. I was surprised at first, but mirrored her action.

I didn't really hug people that often. I had some…trust issues, I guess you could say. But, for some reason, I felt like Mia was someone I could rely on. In a way, she was like Silena. They had surprising similar attributes.

The people behind us line were getting pretty frustrated, so we let go.

"Bye Annabeth! Have a safe trip! Good luck with your parents!" Mia said while heading to the plane.

"You too! Good luck!" I called after her.

She looked back and grinned. She gave one last wave, and head off. The last I saw of her was her bright blonde hair flying around as she ran.

I sighed and sat down on a now empty seat since a bunch of people had left. I still had fifteen minutes to go. While waiting, I checked my seat number about three million times, not wanting to accidently forget it and having to sit by someone annoying again.I fished around in my pocket for my boarding pass. I examined it closely, trying to once read something in English normally, without having the letters mixed up because of my dyslexia. I managed to comprehend what it said, though. Seat D8.

_I hope I'm not by some idiot, _I thought to myself. These past few times I had been on a plane, I had ended up sitting by an extremely chatty old lady, a busy businessman, or an annoying little kid who wouldn't stop asking me questions.

I mean, it would be nice to have a normal person sit by me for once. Don't I have enough bad luck? Well, if I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't even be here right now…

Don't get me wrong, I wanted to see my Dad, but I'd spent the last three Christmases with him already. If I didn't have bad luck, I would be in a cozy apartment right now, cuddling up by the fireplace with Per-

Thankfully, my pessimistic thoughts were interrupted yet again by the woman's voice.

"_All passengers boarding the plane to San Francisco, California please report to gate B9. I repeat, gate B9 for the flight to San Francisco."_

I got up hurriedly, wanting to be first onto the plane. I wouldn't have to be crowded in the aisle while placing my bag in the overhead compartment, and I could enjoy a few seconds of peace before the person that sat next to me arrived.

Fortunately, I was up there first. The woman raised her eyebrows at me but shook her head muttering something about "irresponsible teenagers" while she checked my boarding pass. She then tied a tag around my suitcase and motioned for me to go on. I walked into a weird looking hall type of thing with my suitcase rolling behind me. I heard someone behind me, sounding like they were running to catch up to me. I looked behind me, confused, and my eyes settled on a guy about my age, maybe a little bit older, smiling at me.

I arched an eyebrow, wondering why he wanted to walk with me. I can assure you, I'm not interested in anyone these days. The only person I am interested in is halfway across the country and probably has no idea who the Hades I am. The guy finally caught up to me and I narrowed my eyes. He put his hand out for me to shake, but I just looked at skeptically. His face dropped a bit, but he was still smiling.

"Hey, my name's Jake, and I just wanted to say, I couldn't help noticing how beautiful you are. I was, like, seriously staring at you the whole time."

Oh gods. Is he seriously saying this right now?

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><p><strong>AN: Weird ending, right? **

**Review, please!**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY: Is Annabeth OOC? (Out Of Character) TELL ME! **


	4. Plane Ride

_"Hey, my name's Jake, and I just wanted to say, I couldn't help noticing how beautiful you are. I was like seriously staring at you the whole time."_

_Oh gods. Is he seriously saying this right now?_

I just stared at him.

"Um, okay?" I said, blankly.

"Well, come on babe, don't you want to have a little fun on the plane?" he asked, slipping his arm around my waist.

He picked the wrong girl to flirt with.

I narrowed my eyes, lifted my hand, and slapped him.

His eyes were wide, and there was a big red mark on his cheek. At first he frowned, and he lifted his hand to where I hit him, but then the corners of his mouth twitched up to smile.

_He's smiling! Is he crazy? _I thought.

I yanked my bag and started walking to the plane again and gave Jake one final glare. This had happened before, some random guy trying to flirt with me, but Percy was usually with me to threaten him until he almost started trembling. When Percy wasn't there, I slapped, kicked, yelled, or depending on how annoying they were, punched the unlucky person.

"Hey! I know what you're trying to do! You're playing hard to get!" Jake called after me.

I gritted my teeth and started speed-walking. _Ignore him, ignore him. _I commanded myself.

I finally reached the plane, and once again showed the flight attendant my boarding pass. She almost blinded me with a wide smile while she nodded her head to give approval for me to go on.

I walked down the crowded, cramped, aisle and searched around for my seat number. D8, if I do recall. I found it and did a mental fist pump when I found out it was a window seat and that no one was sitting in D9 yet.

"Would you like for me to help you with that, Miss? It seems pretty heavy," a man asked me.

I turned and saw that he was a flight attendant. "No, thank you, I can handle it," I replied. It's so annoying how people just automatically assume a girl can't carry a measly suitcase.

I reached up and placed my bag in the overhead compartment, but kept my small bag with me under the seat. I need some entertainment if I'm going to be on a plane for six hours.

I sighed and sat back down on my seat. _Finally, a few minutes of relaxation. _I lifted the window cover and peered outside. All I could see was the pavement and a few people in bright orange shirts, reminding me of Camp Half-Blood's shirts. This just reminded me of the Argo II, which reminded me of Percy. Instead of feeling sadness, I tried to think happy thoughts. Lying on the beach, staring at the stars, singing campfire songs, and whispering at night in his cabin.

My happy thoughts were interrupted by a voice. A familiar voice actually, one I heard just a few minutes ago.

"Hey, I guess we're going to be sitting by each other!"

I looked up to be met with a pair of brown eyes, hiding underneath shaggy brown hair. There he was, Jake, smiling at me like I hadn't just slapped him ten minutes ago. I could still see a faint red mark on his cheek, which made me feel slightly bad but happy at the same time.

I gave him a look of disgust and rolled my eyes. "What do you want? I thought I made it pretty obvious that I don't want to talk to you."

"Well, I guess todays not your lucky day, because I have to sit here. Seat D9," he replied while waving his boarding pass in front of my face.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" I said while snatching the paper from his hands and bringing it up to face so I could make sure he wasn't lying. Yep, seat D9.

I groaned while he grinned and plopped down next to me. "I guess its destiny. We were meant to be together."

"No, it's called bad luck. Look it up," I replied.

I gave him one of Thalia's death glares and reached under my seat to grab my bag. I pulled it out and fished around to find my book. I opened my book, took out my bookmark, and started reading it. (It was in Greek.)

"Greek Architecture? Do you want to be an architect or something? Jake asked while examining the cover of my book, attempting to start a conversation.

I sighed and faced him. "Yes. Now, can you please not talk to me so I can read?"

He nodded and proceeded to stare at me, making me extremely uncomfortable. I was about to say something to make him stop, but was interrupted by a flight attendant over the speaker.

"Hello, this is Amber speaking, and I'll be one of your flight attendants today. I would like to start out by showing you a video of what to do in case of an emergency. You can also look at the small packet we have provided in the pouch in front of you. Oh, and please make sure your seatbelt is locked securely over your lap. We cannot take off until everyone has their seatbelt on. Thank you."

A video popped up on the big TV in the front of the plane while I felt the plane slowly start to move. The video was saying things about what to do in an emergency and turbulence. To be honest, I wasn't very interested. Now that I think about it, Zeus wouldn't hurt me. What kind of person zaps their own granddaughter of the sky? He wouldn't do that, right?

I blocked all horrible thoughts from my head and proceeded to read about the history of the Parthenon. Jake was _still _staring at me. Stupid creep. I watched as the lady that had checked my boarding pass checked to see if I had my seatbelt on. She gave me another toothy smile and moved on to the passengers behind us. There was something weird about her. Suddenly, I felt my ears pop. I peered out my window and saw that we were in the sky, clouds blocking my vision of the ground. There was no turning back now. I couldn't go back to camp and work on the Argo II.

"Something wrong? I'm great at cheering people up," Jake asked innocently.

I rolled my eyes and turned to face him. This guy was already getting on my nerves and we were only fifteen minutes into the flight.

"Really? Because when I saw your face I wasn't cheered up at all. The exact opposite, actually," I seethed.

He gave me a small smile and shook his head. "Feisty, aren't you? I like girls like that. It's pretty hot actually," he said while wagging his eyebrows.

I was now ready to grab my book and smack him in the head with it. Instead, I breathed deeply and held onto the armrest tightly to stop myself from beating the Hades out of him.

This is going to be one heck of a plane ride.

**Ughh! I hate this chapter! But, I had to update something. I felt so bad for making you guys wait. By the way, everything about the plane and the airport is based on personal experience, since I've been on a plane about three million times. Anyway, REVIEW! Suggestions, complaints, or compliments? REVIEW OR SEND ME A PM :P Answer the question of the day please! Oh, and it would mean so much to me if someone read my other stories. They're all pretty horrible, but it would be really nice if you looked at them!**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY: Do you think Annabeth is overreacting about Jake? I think she is in character because Jake is pretty annoying, but I want to know your opinion!**


	5. The Most Wonderful Day I've Ever Had

**A/N: Sorry for not updating fast enough guys! I hope you like this! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan, The King of Trolling does. WHY DO YOU LOVE TORTURING US? :P**

_This is going to be one heck of a plane ride._

"Hey, you know what's weird? We've been here for almost an hour and I have no idea what your name is!" Jake said, obviously trying to flirt with me.

We were exactly forty-seven minutes and nine seconds into the flight and I was already contemplating jumping off the plane. After he called me feisty and hot or something, I decided to simply ignore Jake, blocking out all his agitating questions and comments, but he seriously was starting to tick me off.

"My name's Annabeth. Okay? A-N-N-A-B-E-T-H. Got it? Or is your brain so microscopic that you can't understand that?" I answered him.

"That's a cool name. Never heard of it before," he said, ignoring my insult.

"Yeah, well, _I've_ never heard of a guy as annoying as you. Can you _please_ leave me alone? I'm not in the mood."

He was about to answer, but the creepy flight attendant came with a cart full of disgusting smelling food and different kinds of beverages.

She handed Jake and I a plastic container full of what I assumed was supposed to be breakfast, and a thin bag filled with a plastic spoon, fork , and knife.

"What would you like to drink?" the suspicious flight attendant told us.

"I'll take a Coke," I replied.

"Me too," Jake told her while smiling at me.

What, picking the same drink as someone is supposed to be cute or something?

I just shook my head and grabbed the Coke from the lady's hands. Her slender, long fingers brushed against mine and I flinched. Her hands were ice cold, almost inhuman.

She gave me a knowing smile and handed Jake his drink. She turned away, and I faced what I guess was supposed to be food. Inside of the black plastic container was an omelet that looked like rubber, a soggy roll, some fruit, and something mysterious in a small pudding cup looking thing. Very appetizing.

Even though the food looked practically inedible, I was starving. I peeled off the plastic cover off of the food and was attacked by a horrible smell. I was seriously about to gag. Resisting the urge to vomit, I picked up a fork and poked the omelet. There was a bunch of red and green diced stuff in there, which didn't look very edible, so I decided to avoid the omelet and picked up the roll. I slowly took a bite. It had no taste, which I guessed was better than having a taste, because _ was _pretty sure it wouldn't be very good.

I looked over at Jake who had basically eaten everything except for the plate and soda can. I'm still confused at how most guys can eat as much as they want but still stay skinny. I looked down at my plate with disgust and just settled on drinking my Coke. I could just imagine Chiron shaking his head at me for drinking soda, since junk food was practically banned from camp. But that didn't stop the Hermes cabin. I got a bitter taste in my mouth when I thought of camp.

_You're supposed to be helping with the ship right now, not on a plane sitting by an annoying guy. Don't you want to find your boyfriend? You're a horrible girlfriend. That's why he's going to find a new girlfriend, someone that actually cares about him. But, it doesn't matter, because he probably doesn't even remember you, _ A tiny voice inside of my head scolded me.

I suddenly felt nauseous, so I quickly got up to go the bathroom. I just needed some private time. I was NOT going to let Jake see me on the verge of tears. He would probably try to comfort me or something. I almost shuddered thinking about it.

I jumped over people's feet in the crowded aisle, not caring that people were muttering rude things about me. I finally reached the bathroom, right by the little kitchen. I checked to see if it was vacant, and I was relieved to see that it was. For some reason, tiny, microscopic tears were forming in my eyes. I usually kept my emotions hidden pretty well, so I had no idea why I started crying now of all places.

Just as I was about to step into the tiny restroom, a familiar hiss made me freeze. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I slowly turned around, coming face to face with the freaky flight attendant that had given us our food. She had a malicious smile on her face, a smile I had seen too many times before. My eyes widened as I realized what the flight attendant was. How had I been so oblivious? SHE WAS A MONSTER AND I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT!

I reached for my knife that was strapped to my leg and watched in horror as she changed form. Her legs became twin serpent trunks, her skin turned green, and her eyes glowed red. A _dracaena_.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Annabeth Chassse. Girlfriend of Perccccy Jackssson. I've been waiting for you to realize what I truly am. Aren't daughtersss of Athena sssupposssed to be sssmart?" she hissed.

We were literally two feet apart. There was not very much room to fight, but I thrust my knife into one of her legs anyway. She let out a shrill cry, but she wasn't dead yet. I could tell she was about to attack back, but there was no room to move around. I frantically moved to the side, hoping to slice her head off, but no such luck. Just as I lifted my arm to her neck, she jabbed her talons right below my shoulder. I winced at the pain, but tried to ignore it as I slashed my knife across the _dracaenas _neck. My blade passed through her body as if she were made of water. She shrieked and exploded into yellow powder, leaving the smell of sulfur in the air.

I felt something dripping down my shoulder, and remembered my arm again. The _dracaena's_ talons had left deep claw marks into my skin, and blood was gushing out. I cursed when I realized that my ambrosia and nectar was still in my bag under my seat. I couldn't just go walk around casually with blood everywhere. I would just have to settle with washing my arm in the bathroom. I sighed and leaned over the tiny sink. As I looked down, I realized that the claw marks were only a few centimeters away from the scar I got when I took the knife for Percy. And that just reminded me of the reason I was even near the dracaena in the first place. Without warning, small tears started gliding down my face. I quickly wiped them away, determined not to break down like I did the day Percy went missing. The tears stopped as quickly as they started. I took a paper towel and wiped down my arm while I turned the handle of the bathroom door. The yellow powder was still there, but I just kicked it and walked off.

Stupid monster.

The passengers I had bumped into on the way to the bathroom glared at me as I walked by. Once I got to my seat, I contemplated whether I should make Jake get out of his chair so I could get in my seat or just squeeze past him. If I squeezed past him though, I'd just give him a nice view of my butt which he would enjoy because he's an idiot like that.

"Get up," I commanded him.

"There you are! I thought you switched seats- WOAH! What happened to your arm?" he yelled.

I looked down to where I was clutching my arm. It had started bleeding again. I cursed and pushed Jake out of his seat. I searched under my seat for my bag, but it was gone.

"What did you do to my bag?" I asked menacingly.

"Uh, well, you see, I kinda got bored, so I um, well, looked through it," he said with a nervous laugh.

"WHAT? Are you _stupid_ or something? You don't just go through people's stuff! WHERE THE HECK IS IT?" I shrieked. There was PRIVATE stuff in there. Stuff little idiots like him didn't need to see.

The whole plane was basically staring at us by now but I really didn't care.

"It's right here. I didn't take anything, I swear!" he said, trying to calm me down. He pulled my bag out from behind him and handed it to me.

I got up in his face and looked him in the eye. "Look punk, if you _ever_ look through my stuff again, I will tear you apart, limb by limb. GOT IT?" I silently thanked Clarisse for that one.

Suddenly, he just grabbed my face like he was going to kiss me, but I shoved his face away with so much force he fell down. I just about exploded.

"WHAT THE HADES DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? I have a boyfriend! HE CAN KNOCK YOU OUT IN TWO SECONDS! IF YOU EVER, EVER, TRY TO KISS ME AGAIN, I AM GOING TO RIP OUT YOUR SPINE AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT! ONE VERTEBRAE AT A TIME!" I screamed at him. I yelled so much I thought I would never be able to talk again. All the frustration I had felt during the plane ride just spilled out.

Jake was seriously trembling right now. I probably looked murderous right now, my eyes filled with raging fury and blood all over my arm. All of the passengers were looking at me in horror. One of the flight attendant's finally stopped staring and came over to help Jake off of the floor and to get me to calm down and sit in my seat. I had to resist the urge to reach over and punch Jake in the face when he sat down next to me.

"Well, I can tell that you two clearly don't want to sit next to each other, but we have no other available seats. I guess you'll have to ignore each other for the remainder of the flight," the flight attendant told us.

"What? Can't someone trade seats?" I asked, desperate to get the Hades away from him.

Since the plane was so quiet, everybody heard our conversation and immediately started buckling their seatbelts and protesting.

"I'm not sitting by HER! She's a freak!"

"I am NOT getting near that guy! He's going to steal all my stuff!"

"Let's kick 'em off!"

"I'm not going to let my daughter get near that young man! He's a pervert!"

"Mom, can I please sit by her? She's HOT!"

And so on.

Oh, this day has turned out just PERFECT. I'm still stuck by a creep, a monster attacked me, and Jake basically looked through my stuff so I have no idea what he found out about me. And he tried to kiss me.

Plus, my boyfriend is still missing.

**A/N: I'm still not sure about this chapter. It's kind of crazy. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a lot of flames today. Anyway, REVIEW! TELL ME EVERYTHING! Questions, comments, complaints, or compliments? PM me or write a REVIEW! I need to know your opinions! FLAMES WELCOME! Answer the Question of the Day too! **

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	6. Flashbacks and Pictures

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update! My teachers like to annoy us by giving us a bunch of projects and homework. Anyway, enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Percy Jackson. 'Nuff said.**

_Oh, this day has turned out just PERFECT. I'm still stuck by a creep, a monster attacked me, and Jake basically looked through my stuff so I have no idea what he found out about me. And he tried to kiss me._

_Oh, and my boyfriend is still missing._

I sighed inwardly. This day has been way too hectic. I was still on the plane, with about four hours left until I get to California. Jake was unfortunately still sitting by me, but I think he's too scared to talk to me now, which is completely fine by me. But, I guess I jinxed myself, because fifteen minutes after my, ehm, outburst, he decided to ask me ANOTHER question.

"What's your boyfriend's name?" he asked, apparently not done annoying me.

"Why are you so nosy?" I snapped, rolling my eyes.

"Jeez, I was just curious. For all I know, your "boyfriend" could be fake," he shot back.

"He's _not _fake, okay? Just because he's not with me right now doesn't mean he doesn't exist," I said, fuming.

"Does he live in California?" he asked.

"No. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, if he doesn't live in California, then he must live in New York, right? If he really is your boyfriend, then why are you going to San Francisco? Don't couples spend Christmas together and stuff?" he asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.

I gritted my teeth. _Thank you for reminding me that he's missing, I really needed to hear that._

"That's none of your business. Please turn around, shut up, and leave me alone."

He shrugged, muttered something, and went back to listening to music on his iPod.

My throat started to tighten as tiny voices inside of my head started ringing in my ears. They were cold and raspy, similar to that of the old Oracle, which was really weird.

"_The Romans could be torturing him right now, and you're just sitting here on a plane."_

"_He's gone."_

"_Just move on!"_

"_Stupid baby."_

_"A daughter of Athena and a son of Poseidon. Dating. It was destined to fall apart anyway."_

I snapped my eyes shut and clutched my ears. It felt like millions of voices just whispering in my ear, reminding me I was alone.

Jake turned to me, eyes widened, like he couldn't believe that I, a supposedly tough girl, was almost crying.

"Are you-" he asked.

"I'm f-fine. Just l-leave me a-alone," I interrupted him.

He looked like he was about to say something, but he just shook his head and put his ear buds back in.

Convinced that the voices had stopped, I wiped my eyes with my hand to ensure no tears had fallen out, my ring digging into my skin. I had completely forgotten about it. I stared down at it, watching the colors shift back and forth. Deep blue, teal, turquoise, bright green, sea green, seaweed green, and back again to different shades of each color, each time different. Eventually, after endless minutes of staring at it, I fell asleep, exhausted from the flight. My nap wasn't exactly peaceful though.

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><p>'<em><strong>Cause I'll doze off safe and soundly,<br>But I'll miss your arms around me  
>-Vanilla Twilight, Owl City<strong>_

_**~*~Flashback/Dream~*~**_

* * *

><p><em>I was sitting in the Athena cabin, studying the blueprints for the Argo II. I was only going to be at camp for a few hours, since I had to go back to school before someone noticed my absence. Leo had asked me to come and help him with the design of the ship and to monitor their progress. I was examining the engine of the ship when Malcolm stopped at the door, knocking on the door lightly. <em>

"_Chiron needs you at The Big House. He has some…news for you," he said, a weird look on his face, like he knew something I didn't._

_I sighed and rolled up the blueprints. I didn't talk to Chiron much anymore. He didn't talk to me like he used to. He would always give me sympathetic looks, and tell me that we would find Percy soon. It annoyed the Hades out of me. I was tired of people pitying me. I guessed that Chiron's news wasn't going to be very good._

"_Okay, I'll be there in a minute," I replied, standing up._

_He looked at me, as if he knew what I was thinking about. "Annabeth, I just want to say….think about it. Don't just give an immediate answer. Really think about it."_

_I arched an eyebrow, giving him a skeptical look._

"_I'm a daughter of Athena, aren't I? Besides, what is he going to tell me anyway?" I asked._

_He shifted uncomfortably, as if he didn't want to tell me. Okay, this was getting really weird._

"_I-I need to go to archery practice. See you later," he said, running off before I could answer._

_I shook my head and sighed again. Nobody ever told me anything lately. They probably didn't want me to worry and have a meltdown again. I trudged myself outside, preparing myself for the stares I was going to get. Again. As I walked past the cabins, almost every pair of eyes turned to me, as if they expected me to break down and start sobbing uncontrollably. The archers stopped shooting arrows, the Pegasus riders pulled their horses to a halt, and the Ares kids stopped stabbing their dummies. I gritted my teeth and turned my attention to the ground. I could still feel the worried looks though. I heard Clarisse bark at her siblings to get back to work and stop staring. She had surprisingly been helpful these days. I guess she got what I was going through._

_I climbed up the steps of the Big House and walked through the door. Chiron was sitting in his wheelchair, looking like he was deep in thought. I didn't want to interrupt him, but I had to know what was going on._

"_You needed to see me?" I asked, unsure of what to say._

_Chiron looked up and gave me a small smile. "Ah, yes. Your father called. He said he wanted to ask you something."_

_My dad wanted to call me? We hadn't talked since the week after Percy went missing, and that was only a couple of minutes._

"_It isn't anything bad, is it?" I said._

"_No, no. Just a question. You can use the phone over there," he said, pointing to an old phone hanging on the wall._

_I walked over to the phone, stopping dead in my tracks when I saw the wall. I hadn't really noticed it before, but there were a bunch of pictures of Percy and I plastered all over the place. Pictures as old as from when we were just twelve years old, standing next to Thalia's pine tree, to a recent picture of us, arm in arm, both of us smiling like crazy. I tried to tear my eyes away from the photos, but I still couldn't stop myself from glancing at them as I picked up the heavy phone. Fortunately, I still remembered our home phone number. The phone rang for a few seconds until my dad picked up._

"_Hello?" he asked._

_I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to croak out a couple of words. "Hey dad, it's me, Annabeth."_

"_Annabeth! I haven't talked to you in so long! How are you?" he said excitedly._

"_I'm fine." I answered blankly. My dad and I weren't exactly buddy-buddy. I wasn't really a daddy's girl._

"_Good, good. Are the plans for Olympus going well?" he said, sounding genuinely curious. That was a surprise. Everybody practically started sleeping every time I talked about architecture._

"_It's going great, but I haven't really had time to go up there and work on them myself." Okay, that was a lie. I was afraid that I'd somehow kill Hera, even though she was immortal. But with all my anger, I didn't think it'd be impossible. Honestly, I'd really like to kill her, but I didn't think it'd be very smart, considering my situation. I also didn't want to go there because of my mother. I had a feeling that if I went up there, something not very pleasant would happen._

"_Well, it takes time. I'm sure it'll be incredible once it's done," he said reassuringly._

"_Thanks, dad. So, how's California? Everybody doing okay?" I asked._

"_Oh, we're great. Speaking of California, I need to ask you something," he said, his voice sounding anxious._

"_Yes?" I questioned, confused at why he would be nervous. _

"_Well, we were all wondering if you'd like to stay with us over Winter Break. We haven't seen you in so long, and we think you need a vacation, with all the work you're doing. I could email you all of the flight information. You don't have to worry about a thing. What do you think?"_

_I was shocked. They actually wanted to see me? I didn't know what to say. I stood there, opened mouthed, trying to think of what to say. "Oh. I-I don't know, dad. I need to help with the Argo II. They'll probably screw it up without my help. I mean, I'd really like to come, but I just don't know. Are you sure everybody wants to see me? Besides, I'd just bring trouble. With the war and everything, there's way more monsters than usual. Especially in California. I don't want to harm you guys."_

"_Of course everybody wants to see you. Annabeth, I know we did some pretty bad mistakes in the past, but I assure you, Susan and I wish we could take that all back. And you're a strong girl. You can handle a couple of measly monsters, can't you? We all really want to see you, Annabeth. I don't want to force you, but I just want you to consider it," he said._

_I bit my lip. "I'll consider it, but I'm not completely sure. I want to see you guys too. I just really don't know if it's safe enough."_

_He sighed. "Okay. I understand. Just think about it. It might get your mind off things." _

"_Okay, dad. I'll think about it. Well, bye. Tell Bobby and Matthew I said hi. And Susan too," I added._

"_Bye, Annabeth. Tell me if you reconsider. Oh, and one more thing. Are you coping well, with you know, Percy's absence?" he asked._

_Oh gods. He just had to bring it up, didn't he? "Uh, I'll talk to you later dad. Bye."_

_He was about to answer, but I hung up before he could finish. I spun around and faced Chiron. "Did you know about this?" I demanded. Chiron had to have been involved somehow._

_He looked up from organizing his Frank Sinatra music and faced me as well. "Yes. Your father and I talked about it, and we both felt that it was for the best. We feel that you need to….. get your mind off things."_

"_What? I need to get my mind off of Percy? You want me to act like nothing's wrong? That he isn't half way across the country, missing, with no idea who he is? Who _I _am? You can't possibly think I'll do that, Chiron," I said, my eyes stinging._

"_Annabeth, we're worried about you. And we feel a little vacation wouldn't do you any harm. I know California isn't exactly safe for demigods, but I think you can handle it. You-"_

"_You don't get it. You don't get it at all. Nobody knows how it feels. I'm not even going to bother arguing," I said, tears gliding down my face. With that, I went over to the wall, ripped off all of the pictures, and stormed out of the Big House. _

_I started running. I didn't even know where I was going. Everybody stared, gaping, as I whipped past them, ending up at the entrance of Percy's cabin. I shoved open the door and flicked on the lights. _

_Clothes were strewn across the room, as if he was still living there. I had begged the harpies not to change anything in the room, because then it'd just be too weird. I crumpled down onto the floor, cradling my head in my hands, rocking back and forth. I could smell the scent of sea salt drifting off of his clothes. I was certain it wasn't just his fountain, because I could see a black hoodie right underneath me. I clutched the hoodie, remembering him wearing it the night he told me-_

* * *

><p><em><strong>I've never felt this way before<br>Everything that I do reminds me of you  
>And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor<br>And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do**_

_**~When You're Gone, Avril Lavigne**_

_**~*~End of Flashback/Dream~*~**_

* * *

><p>"Annabeth? Hellooooo? We only have fifteen minutes left. You have to put on your seatbelt, or else the flight attendant's going to flip out on you," Jake said, waking me up, his ear buds dangling in front of my eyes.<p>

I blinked, my eyebrows scrunching up in confusion. Oh, yeah. Airplane. California. I sat up and strapped the seatbelt across my waist. My head was throbbing, probably because it was leaning against the very comfortable (sarcasm) window for four hours.

"You didn't look through my stuff again, did you?" I said, eyes narrowed menacingly.

Jake held his hands up in surrender, looking scared. "I swear, I touched nothing."

For some reason, I believed him. Remembering we were getting off the plane soon, I grabbed my backpack from under the seat and searched around to check that I still had everything. But, as I was looking around in one of the pockets, the pictures I had ripped off the wall in the Big House fell out. I didn't even know I packed them. I stared at them, confused. I was positive I had left them under my bed in my dorm. I slowly flipped through them, looking at each one carefully.

A picture of Percy and I holding the Golden Fleece, one with Thalia, Percy, and I, one with us at the beach, Percy carrying me bridal style, about to throw me into the water, one with us standing next to Thalia's pine tree, about twelve years old, and the last one with us standing on the steps of the Big House, arm in arm, both of us grinning like mad.

What if Percy doesn't remember any of those moments?

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>But most of the office's wall was plastered with photos of demigods, like a hall of fame. One of the newer shots showed a teenage guy with dark hair and green eyes. Since he stood arm in arm with Annabeth, Piper assumed the guy was Percy Jackson."<strong>_

_**-The Lost Hero**_

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you guys liked it! I included the quotes 'cause I thought they made it more…dramatic or something. And yes, I know the little lyrics of Vanilla Twilight were kinda stupid, but I thought it fit really well, and it was cute. So, yeah. Anyway, REVIEW! Let's get to a 100 reviews! If that's possible, considering my epic slowness of updating. I've decided to make a new system. I'll update every Friday or Saturday. It's gonna be hard, since I'm currently juggling two stories, but I'll make it work. ;) Questions, comments, complains, or concerns? Send me a PM or review! I accept flames! Anybody OOC? TELL ME! Come on people, you know you want to. XD Answer the Questions of the Day too!**

**QUESTIONS OF THE DAY: **

**Are any of you guy's international readers? International= Not America ;)**

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**What was your favorite part?**

**IF YOU WANT TO SEE A REALLY GOOD DRAWING OF THE PICTURE OF PERCY AND ANNABETH, GO TO GOOGLE AND SEARCH "CHIRONS OFFICE". THE FIRST LINK SHOULD BE IT. ARTIST IS BURDGE-BUG. IT'S ON DeviantART.**

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	7. Embarrassment and Annoying Brothers

**A/N: SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! I was really sick, and my history teacher feels that we should have a 200 point project every week. And she likes to pair me up with lazy people so I end up doing all the work. Needless to say, I was really busy. **

**Disclaimer: If I was Rick Riordan, I wouldn't be a complete troll and leave cliffhangers all the time and make my fans wait A WHOLE YEAR for a book. Anyway, don't own PJO. :'( **

As soon as I felt the plane stop, I immediately jumped up out of my seat and squeezed past Jake to get into the crowded aisle. The passengers were giving me annoyed looks but I didn't really care. Because of my height, I could easily reach the overhead compartment and grab my bag quickly. After six hours of torture from Jake, I wanted to get off the plane as soon as possible. I strapped my backpack loosely over my shoulder and tried to roll my suitcase past the other passengers, but they were taking forever to get their stuff together. There was a guy in front of me who was way shorter than me, so he was struggling to pull his bags out. Annoyed by his slowness, I pulled his bag out with ease and handed it to him.

"Uh, thanks," he muttered, seeming embarrassed that he couldn't get it himself. I nodded and slipped past him, jumping over the blankets and pillows that were thrown carelessly on the floor. It looked like a pigsty. Just as I was about to exit the plane, I heard Jake call out to me.

"Annabeth! Annabeth, wait!" he yelled.

I whipped around and narrowed my eyes at him. What did he want now? He was pretty far away from me, probably unable to get over to me because of all of the people, but that didn't stop him from asking me something.

"Do you want to go on a date sometime? Like, can I have your number?"

I widened my eyes, my face burning from embarrassment. I was pretty sure I had heard a few "AWWS!" after he asked me that. I felt bad for him, but at the same time, I was irritated that he didn't get the point that I wasn't interested, and that I had a boyfriend.

"I already told you, I have a _boyfriend_!" I replied.

"OOH, BURN!" I heard someone yell out.

Resisting the urge to laugh, I hurriedly ran out of the plane, anxious to finally get some fresh air, and, well, I guess see my dad. I speed-walked through the airport, my eyes searching through the mob of people for a familiar face.

I couldn't see a thing. Frustrated by the pushing and shoving of the people around me, I managed to find a bench to stand on. Ignoring the stares, I examined the crowd again, standing on my tippy-toes on the arm of the bench.

"Annabeth!" someone called out. Startled, I turned my head in the direction of the voice and breathed a sigh of relief. There was my dad, with Susan, Matthew, and Bobby trailing behind him. I jumped off the bench and rushed towards them. As I got closer and closer to him, I thought about how I would greet them. Hug them? Say hello and smile? I was completely clueless, something I hated being.

As soon as I reached my dad, he enveloped me in a hug without hesitation. I stood there, startled, stiff as a board. I never hugged anybody, the only exceptions being Percy. Not wanting to be rude, I eventually hugged him back. After a few seconds, we both let go. _Wow, that was awkward._

"Hey, Dad. How's it going?" I asked lamely with a nervous laugh.

He looked at me for a few seconds, his wide grin faltering a bit when he looked at me. Did I really look that horrible? He had a somewhat confused look on his face, as if he didn't recognize me.

"Uh, Dad? Something wrong?"

He looked at me again, like he just noticed I was there. "What? Oh, nothing. You've just changed a bit. Well, a lot actually," he said with worrying eyes.

"Changed? What do you mean? It's not like I dyed my hair neon green or something. I'm still the same old person," I replied, wondering what was so different about me.

He was about to answer, but Bobby and Matthew barreled towards me, hugging my waist. I jumped a bit, alarmed at their greeting.

"Annabeth! We haven't seen you in FOREVER!" they told me in unison.

"Hey guys," I smiled back, bending down to their height and ruffling their hair.

I stood up and was met by Susan beaming at me. "Annabeth! Oh, you look exhausted! Was it a long flight? Anything bad happen on the way? Did they lose any of your bags?" she asked me all in one breath. Although Susan and I didn't exactly get along when I was little, she had gotten better as I got older and she was okay now. We weren't exactly buddy-buddy, and I would never call her Mom, but at least we got along pretty well now.

"Yeah, I'm pretty exhausted. I was stuck by this really annoying guy who was determined to get me to go out with him," I said, rolling my eyes.

She laughed, but she did the same thing my dad did. She gave me a worried look and looked at me as if she didn't recognize me. What was up with everyone? Did I have something on my face or something?

She looked back at Dad, like they were thinking the same thing. I looked at them skeptically. This was getting weird.

"You guys, come on! Are we just going to stand here like zombies, or are we going to get out of here? You know I'm claustrophobic!" Matthew complained. Dad, who had been whispering something to Susan, immediately stopped and looked at all of us. Noticing our expressions, he smiled a bit and picked up my bags.

"So, where to, Annabeth? Do you want to go out to eat? Go home? Anywhere is fine with us, right boys?" he said, looking pointedly at Matthew and Bobby. They rolled their eyes and sighed, like they had discussed this earlier.

"Uh, home, I guess. I don't really care," I answered, shrugging. He was treating me like I was his guest or something, not his daughter.

"Home it is," he said. With that, we all started walking towards the exit. I couldn't help noticing how out of place I looked . If someone looked at me now, they would never guess I was part of the family. There was my dad, with his blond hair and brown eyes eyes, Susan, with her black hair and brown eyes, and the twins, who both had black hair and brown eyes, just like Susan. And then there was me, with my blonde hair and gray eyes. The only resemblance between the five of us was my Dad and I's blonde hair and tallness, but that was about it. I stood out like a sore thumb.

I was so lost in thought, I accidently bumped into someone. Hard. As I looked up to say sorry, I was surprised to see who it was. It was Jake again, and he looked pretty excited to see me.

"Annabeth! I've been looking for you!" he grinned. Oh gods, he was probably going to ask me for my number again.

"Look Jake, I'm still not interested," I sighed.

"No, I was going to give you these pictures. You left them on the plane. I'm guessing that's your boyfriend?" he smirked while showing me the pictures I had forgotten.

I blushed and grabbed the pictures from him. "Oh, thanks. I'm so glad you found them. I can't believe I forgot them."

"Nah, no problem. See you around sometime?"

I nodded unsurely and he walked off. I turned around to face my family and realized they had been staring at Jake and I the whole time. I had totally forgotten about them.

"Is that the annoying guy from the plane?" Susan asked with a laugh.

"Yeah. Turns out I forgot some…pictures," I replied, suddenly uncomfortable.

"EEW! Why do you have a picture of you and Percy kissing?" Matthew and Bobby pointed at one of the pictures in my hand, looking at me with disgusted faces. I looked down at the photo. Sure enough, there was a picture of Percy and I kissing, sitting on the dock at camp.

Horrified, I stuffed the pictures in my pocket and started speed walking, hoping to remind everyone that we had somewhere to be. They got the message and followed me silently. I slowed a little and waited for Dad and Susan to catch up with me. I realized that Dad and Susan hadn't told Matthew and Bobby about Percy's disappearance. If they knew, I was pretty sure they wouldn't have brought that up, knowing it made me uncomfortable.

"Did you guys not tell them?" I hissed.

"About what?" Susan whispered.

"About…Percy and I's situation," I mumbled.

"We didn't think you wanted them to know!" Dad replied.

"Well, maybe if you did, it wouldn't be so uncomfortable and awkward. They're going to ask me questions about him. And that's not a topic I want to discuss right now," I said, speed-walking towards the door of Dad's Honda. I stood there impatiently, waiting for them to catch up so they could unlock the car. As soon as they did, Matthew and Bobby practically run me over while trying to get inside, claiming they HAD to get the window seat. I sighed once I realized I had to sit in-between them. Here are just a _few_ things they said during the ride:

"Annabeth! Scoot over! I'm squished!"

"Could you lean back a bit? I need to show Matthew something on my iPod."

"Annabeth, get your hair out of my face!"

"Shut up Bobby!"

"You shut up!"

"Dad, tell him to stop!"

"MOOOM! Annabeth's talking in that weird language again!"

I groaned inwardly at the thought of having to deal with this for three more weeks. I looked out the window and realized we were on The Golden Gate Bridge, one of my favorite bridges. For some reason, I felt like there was something important about it.

What if…what if Percy is somewhere near here?

My thoughts were interrupted by a gasp coming from Bobby.

"Percy taught you how to surf? NO WAY!" he said, holding up a picture of me surfing terribly on the beach at camp, with Percy close by my side, ready to catch me if I fell. I widened my eyes and snatched it away from him, almost ripping it. I clearly remembered stuffing the pictures in my pocket. _Those little monsters._

"Bobby! Stop looking through my stuff!" I yelled at him.

Dad sighed and looked at us through the rearview mirror. "Boys, stop it. One more time and you're grounded."

As they protested and complained, I could only think of one thing: _There's something up with this bridge, and I have to find out why I have a feeling that Percy's somewhere near here._

**A/N: OOOH! What could it be? Tell me what you think! Suggestions, complaints, compliments, or questions? Send me a PM or REVIEW! I'll try to answer as quickly as I can! Don't forget to check out my poll on my profile, and answer the QOTD!**

**QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:**

**WHO'S EXCITED FOR THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE? XD (If you haven't read the books, READ THEM NOW. I COMMAND YOU!) I'M GOING THE DAY IT COMES OUT! EEEP! XD**

**Why do you think Susan and Annabeth's dad thought that Annabeth changed? **

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**REVIEW!**

**PM!**

**CHECK OUT MY POLL!**

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**PWEAZE?**

**DO IT FOR THE ALL OF THE DEAD STUFFED ANIMALS THAT OCTAVIAN KILLED!**

**R.I.P PERCY'S PILLOW PET.**

***sniffle* You will be dearly missed.**


	8. The Mysterious, Reappearing Hoodie

**I'm BAAAAACCCKK! **

**I know, I know, I'm horrible. But, as many of you guys might know, April and May are the absolute busiest months of the year, and I honestly had no time to update. I'm not kidding, all of my teachers decided to cram all of this crap for us in a span of two weeks. I mean really, who assigns 200 point projects when we only have like two weeks left of school? Plus, I had to type up this huge essay for this thing because I got nominated for some huge award or something. I'm really sorry for not updating sooner. But, school ends in two weeks, so I get to update earlier now! *happy dance***

**OMG, DID YOU GUYS HEAR THE SNEAK PEEK OF THE MARK OF ATHENA? If you haven't,search ****RICK RIORDAN, KING OF TROLLDOM, READS THE BEGINNING OF THE. I don't really know why she didn't complete the sentence. *shrugs* Oh, and did you see the pictures of Alexandra Daddario as a blonde for The Sea of Monsters movie? Go search it on Google, right now! It's not fake!**

**And now, on with the story! XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson…Annabeth does! (Thank you,**___**I'mjustthatawesome99 **_**for the awesome disclaimer!)**

"Here we are!" Dad announced as we pulled up in the driveway of our house. It was a typical San Francisco townhouse, with other townhouses similar to ours surrounding it. The architecture wasn't very impressive, considering every house was almost identical. I could have done better.

Stupid hubris.

I stepped out of the car, looking around the neighborhood. There were children playing outside, some teenagers shooting hoops, and a couple walking down the sidewalk, laughing and kissing. Just normal people. Nobody would ever expect that a demigod was living just a couple of houses away from them, getting attacked by monsters every few hours or so.

Trying to clear my head, I pulled my bags out of the trunk and followed everybody to the door. As I walked in, I looked around and took in my surroundings. Nothing changed much, just a few new things here and there. Same leather couches, same TV, same decorations. I noticed a couple of new pictures, though. In every single picture, they were all beaming, looking like they were having the time of their lives.

_Yeah, they're all grinning because I wasn't with them, _I thought bitterly.

"Not too different, right?" Susan asked, shaking me out of my trance.

I nodded my head, managed a small smile, and dashed up the stairs, Dad carrying my bags behind me. I took tentative steps while approaching my bedroom door, not knowing what to expect. They wouldn't have touched anything of mine, right? Although Susan had a habit of looking through my stuff, I don't think she would have snooped around this time, considering she knows that I hate it. I slowly turned the shiny, silver doorknob, anxious to see my room.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding when I saw that, like almost everything else in the house, it hadn't changed one bit. I subconsciously smiled while I looked around. The walls were still painted a steely gray, reminding me of Athena. The desk was still covered with piles of papers, the bookshelf was still overflowing with endless amounts of books, and the walls were still covered with pictures of camp and old homework I had sketched buildings on.

It was perfect.

"You know, we've all missed you."

I turned around, startled. There was Dad, leaning against the doorframe, looking like he was deep in thought. My bags were set down beside his feet.

"Yeah, me too…but I've been so caught up with other things…my life has just been so crazy and hectic," I whispered, looking down at my hands.

I had missed them, I really had. But, there was only one person on my mind these days, and I really wasn't thinking about anyone or anything other than him.

"You miss Percy really badly, don't you?"

I peered up at him and met his eyes. I looked away immediately, a tight knot slowly forming in my stomach. Didn't he know that I don't like this topic, at all?

"I-I need to unpack my bags, Dad," I replied, hastily grabbing my bags from beside his feet and locking the door before he could protest.

He knocked again and tried to turn the doorknob, but when he realized that I wasn't going to open any time soon, he sighed and slowly walked away. Great, just great. I had only been here for a few hours, and I already made things awkward and tense.

I groaned and intentionally fell face-first onto my plush bed. _Finally, some peace and quiet, _I thought to myself. After taking multiple deep breaths, I sat up and decided to do something productive. I opened my suitcase and started putting my clothes in random drawers and in my way too oversized closet. But, as I was about to finish, I noticed a black hoodie hiding underneath my jeans. I arched an eyebrow and slowly pulled out the mysterious garment.

I held back a gasp as I noticed who it belonged to. On the back of the hoodie, in bold, white letters, it said "JACKSON". The faint scent of sea salt still lingered on the hoodie, which brought back happy memories, and terrible ones as well. I just stared at it for what seemed like forever until the sane part of my brain noticed that I hadn't even packed the sweatshirt in the first place. Just like the pictures, it had just appeared. I clearly remembered stuffing under my bed one night, after Drew had commented on it. She ended up in the infirmary after that little incident.

I stood up shakily and walked over to my picture adorned closet, threw the sweatshirt somewhere, and slammed the closet door shut before I could change my mind and dig up that dreaded, creepy hoodie. Percy had worn it the day before he went missing, the day that he told-

"ANNNNNAAABEEETHHHH! Dinner's ready!" Bobby or Matthew shouted, pounding on my door.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," I replied, rolling my eyes, even though he obviously couldn't see me.

I heard him mutter something incoherent under his breath, probably something not so nice, which I ignored. I snuck a peek at myself in my small mirror, attempting to make myself look decent and presentable. After a few minutes of trying to untangle my knotted hair, I gave up and went downstairs anyway, not caring what the Hades I looked like.

"Hey," I mumbled as I walked into our overly decorative dining room.

"Annabeth! I was just about to send one of the boys to come and get you down here. I'm guessing you had a problem with your…hair?" she said, smiling widely as she surveyed my appearance.

_Percy said I always looked cute, even if I looked disastrous, _I thought.

I nodded slowly and plopped down next to Matthew, who was poking his lasagna like it was some road kill, his lip curling up in disgust.

"Mom, I hate lasagna. Can we please go to McDonalds or something?" he complained.

I almost laughed at his complaint. He couldn't last one week in Camp Half-Blood, with our strict diets.

"Matthew, eat your food and stop whining," Dad sighed. Matthew groaned, but obliged.

I looked down at my own plate, and I realized that I didn't have much of an appetite. Don't get me wrong, Susan was a great cook, I just hadn't been eating much these past few weeks anyway, so I got used to not eating normally. I took a couple of small bites and pushed around the food, trying to make it seem like I had eaten enough.

"Annabeth? Is there something wrong with the food?" Susan asked.

I didn't answer. Instead, I was looking outside, my eyes searching around the backyard for anything suspicious.

I sensed something wrong.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Susan pursing her lips. I didn't pay much attention to her though, because I was still staring outside, my eyes narrowing as I scooted closer to the window. I could have sworn I saw a flash of green scales…

"There she is! Euryale, I found her! Oh, this'll be easy, look how skinny and puny she is, Euryale!" a shrill voice shrieked.

Oh, gods.

**Well, what'd you think? Good? Amazing? Bad? Horrible? Tell me, please! I know I don't really deserve a review, considering I'm the absolute worst updater ever, but it'd be really nice if you do review! I want to know what I need to work on, and what is good. Okay, I have a deal. The first reviewer gets a review from me and a chapter dedication. If you don't have any stories, then you get a chapter dedication and…something else. I don't know yet. :P Oh, and answer the Question of the Day and look at the contest!**

**Reviewers get cookies! (::)(::)(::)**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you think of the cliffhanger? What does it mean? Whoever answers the question right first also gets a chapter dedication!**

**CONTEST: I really hate the title of this story. Does anybody have any suggestions? A chapter dedication for my favorite suggestion!**

**Au revoir! (I'm taking French!)**

**Wow, this chapter was short.**


	9. STUPID FANFICTION!

Hey guys!

So, as you guys know, I updated this story the other day! But, I just happened to notice that I didn't get a lot of reviews this time. Well, not as much as other times…

Anyway, someone informed me that FanFiction didn't let them review! :P And I was confused for a while, but today I noticed that some people may not be able to review because I deleted a chapter a few days ago, because it was just a useless authors note. Before I deleted it, my story had eight chapters, but after I deleted the chapter, it had seven. When I updated the other day, the story went back to eight chapters! That means Fanfiction is being a total freakin' idiot, so it's saying that you already reviewed because they're counting my new chapter as chapter eight, the one you may have already reviewed on.

That sucks.

So, if you bothered to read my sucky chapter when I updated, I guess you can review on this "chapter" because it won't let you review on the chapter I updated.

That's confusing, isn't it?

I'm going to update with a real chapter in a few days. I promise I won't make you wait three million years again.

Review please! Because…um…it'd be nice? Wait, no, because… it was my birthday, like, a month ago! (April 16, to be exact!) That's a pretty dumb reason, but still, I LOVE REVIEWS.

Just sayin'.

BYEEE! I love you guys!

*HUGS*

P.S. I CHANGED THE NAME OF THE STORY! YAY! [insert Effie Trinket's voice here.] "Winter Break" was too drab, "Losing Grip" sounds much better, in my opinion! THAT IS MAHAGONY! (Sorry, just had to put that in there!)

Yeah, there's no contest anymore, I already chose the name. Nobody actually suggested it, I just thought of it randomly. Oh, and I just happened to be thinking of Avril Lavigne when I thought of it, so yeah. I guess her song could describe Annabeth…but not really. WHEN YOU'RE GONE DOES!

But, I started thinking of music when Chenoamisae reviewed, and when I thought of music, Avril Lavigne popped up in my head, because…I really have no idea why.

So, do you guys like the new title? TELL ME!


	10. Gorgons, Blood, and Stupid Pools

_"There she is! Euryale, I found her! Oh, this'll be easy, look how skinny and puny she is, Euryale!" a shrill voice shrieked._

_Oh, gods._

Monsters.

I had only been in San Francisco for a few hours, and I already managed to attract some monsters. And judging by their names and their voice, they were gorgons. I didn't think they'd be too happy once they realized that I had partly helped kill their sister, Medusa.

I flew out of my seat and reached up my jeans to grab my dagger that was strapped to my calf. I was about to burst out into the backyard, but then I noticed that the twins, Susan, and Dad were still in the dining room, staring at the scene with wide, terrified eyes. I didn't know what they saw, considering they were mortals, but it must have been pretty horrifying.

"What are you doing? Go! I can handle it by myself, just go upstairs!" I shouted at them. Bobby, Matthew, and Susan immediately scrambled up the stairs, Dad trailing behind them. He peered back at me a few times, giving me a worried look.

I shoved open the backyard door and ran outside, gripping my dagger tightly.

Nothing.

I furrowed my brow and surveyed the backyard again. There was still nothing. Had I been hallucinating? Was I dreaming?

Just as I was about to take a step towards the middle of the yard, I heard a faint hiss. I whipped around, running towards the direction of the voice. The hiss seemed to have come from the treetops of the humungous tree near the corner of the backyard. Shielding my eyes with my hand, I tried to look up at the tree to see if they could have possibly climbed up there, but with the sun blinding me and the tree being so tall, I couldn't see a thing.

"I know you're out here, just get out already. I don't have time for this!" I huffed. I knew I sounded like a whiny little kid, but I really had other things to do. Well, mainly searching for Percy, but whatever.

There was still no answer. Frustrated, I started climbing the stupid tree, latching on the sturdiest branches to ensure I didn't fall like a complete idiot. During the process, I managed to get a few scrapes on my palms and knees, but I was so irritated I barely felt a thing.

Suddenly, two figures jumped down from the tree, startling me so much I lost my grip on one of the tree trunks, causing me to fall down as well. I landed with a big _thud _on my butt. I winced in pain and slowly got up, staring at the two…things that had fell down.

I was right, they _were _gorgons.

They were both wearing bright green Bargain Mart vests over hideous flower print dresses. They each had a big button on their left breast pocket. The gorgon on the right had one that read (Well, I thought it did): _Welcome! My name is Beano! _The second gorgon's badge read: _Hello! My name is DIE, DEMIGOD SCUM!_

Well, they seemed happy to see me.

The sisters also had bronze boar tusks decorated with 50% off stickers sticking out of the corner of their mouths, creepy red eyes, rooster feet, and a writhing nest of bright colored snakes. (I couldn't help noticing that Beano had a nest of green vipers, while the other, who I assumed was Euryale, had coral snakes.)

I guessed that "Beano" was actually Stheno, and that the other one was Euryale.

"Would like a Cheese 'n' Wiener? They're only $2.99! You don't want to die on an empty stomach, do you?" Bea-Stheno offered, holding out a platter for me to see.

I fended her off with my dagger, growling at her.

"I don't have time for free samples!" I exclaimed, attempting to strike her in the neck with my dagger. Just as the blade was about to come in contact with her skin, she jabbed her talons on my palm, making me pull away. I winced in pain and backed away, ignoring the crimson blood dripping down my hands.

"Come on, just try one! If you don't have much time, you'll love these! I added some gorgon's blood, so your death will be quick!" she offered again.

My stomach churned at the thought of that pleasant meal.

"You two sure are as disgusting and ugly as Medusa," I remarked, my lip curling up in disgust.

"Thank you! Everybody always said that Medusa was the most hideous, but I always knew I was the most hideous. I'm glad that someone finally noticed!" she said, beaming. "Speaking of Medusa, I smell her blood on you. Probably a couple of years old, but still there, nonetheless!"

Euryale gasped. "She must have been with Percy Jackson! You're Annabeth Chase, aren't you?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" I demanded.

"You must be his girlfriend, am I right?" Euryale asked, ignoring my other question.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at their questions. They sure were chatty.

"Yeah, but what does that have to with anything?" I demanded again.

"Well, we obviously have to get revenge for you being a part of her death! She still hasn't returned from Tartarus, you know! And now, you can join her!"

"Actually, I'm pretty sure demigods can't go to Tartarus," I pointed out.

"Oh, whatever! Now, where is that boyfriend of yours?" Euryale questioned.

I gritted my teeth.

"I don't know!" I hissed.

"What do you mean, you don't know? Have you not found him yet?" Stheno said, looking at me questioningly.

"I'm working on it!" I yelled.

"No, he's somewhere around here, I smell another demigod! A powerful one, probably one of the Big Three, I'm sure of it!" Euryale said, crinkling her nose and sniffing the air.

I narrowed my eyes. Where they messing with me, or were they serious?

"H-he's somewhere around here? Where?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"That's for us to know, and for you to find out. Besides, there's no use in looking for him, you're going to be dead in a few minutes. And, the Romans will probably kill him soon, anyways. You two can see each other again in the Underworld!" Stheno exclaimed cheerfully.

"I am _not_-"

"Aww, you poor thing. You must miss him terribly! I haven't met him personally, but I heard that he's quite the handsome young man, and that Medusa wanted to keep him so badly because he resembled his father! I'm sorry that you two won't ever get to see each other again, you must have been-"

"Shut _up_!" I interrupted her. I did _not_ need a stupid monster telling me I'm never going to see my boyfriend again.

"I know you want to believe that you'll get to see him again, but you must face the truth, dear. You're going to die in just a few minutes, and you won't ever see him again!" Euryale repeated.

"Oh Euryale, stop. Look at the girl, she's probably distraught! How about we just kill you quickly, so you can forget about your pain, hmm?" Stheno asked me, smiling.

I glared at her. I was tempted to kill them both right then and there, but decided to let them keep talking so I could think of a battle strategy.

I circled around them, studying them carefully. "So, are there any other reasons why you want to kill me?"

"Changing the subject, aren't we? Well, our patron will reward us greatly, we'll get the satisfaction of killing another demigod, and we'll be even more famous than Medusa!" Euryale grinned, bearing off her fangs.

"Your patron? Who, Gaea?" I hissed, just like the snakes on their messed up heads.

"Yes! She's the one who brought us back from oblivion! But, you won't live long enough to meet her, sadly."

_And you won't either, _I thought smugly.

I clenched my jaw and slowly backed up, making sure that I didn't keep my eyes off of them. The sisters approached me, giving me evil, toothy smiles. I swallowed hard, sweat dripping down my burning face.

_It's really hot out here, _I thought.

Stupid ADHD.

I studied their every move, waiting for just the right moment to lunge at them and attack. I narrowed my eyes when I noticed the sudden change of emotion on their faces. First, it was confusion, then realization, and then pure joy. I arched an eyebrow at them, still walking backwards.

Out of nowhere, I felt my legs stumble on something rubbery, and next thing I know, I'm underwater, in our big inflatable pool. Mentally, I curse my luck, inflatable pools, monsters, and my inability to kill those dumb gorgons.

I fell into a freakin' _pool_.

The pool was only four feet deep, so the water only reached my midsection as I stood up and started coughing uncontrollably. I completely forgot about the fact that I was supposed to be killing two gorgons, for the only thing I felt was the burning in my eyes and my raw feeling in my throat from coughing. I also just happened to feel one of the sisters attempt to grab me, but instead deeply scratch my neck with their claws when I tried to pull away from their grasp. Blood flowed down my neck like a waterfall, making me want to faint. I managed to open my eyes for a few seconds, and I realized that the sisters were literally right across from me, gripping the edge of the pool, about to attack me, again.

I realized that this would be the perfect moment to chop their heads off, but then I noticed something missing. My right hand felt oddly empty…

My freakin' dagger was gone.

"Oh, gods," I groan as I start searching around frantically. I went back underwater and searched for it. I felt the sharp blade pierce my skin, and I cursed in my head. I grabbed the leather grip and jump up and out of the pool, eyeing the sisters.

I was soaked to the bone, exhausted, and surrounded by two crazy gorgons.

Fun.

"Oh, stop acting like you're going to kill us. Kill us, and we kill your precious little boyfriend," Stheno smirked.

I froze. Could they really possibly know where he might be?

"Y-you don't even know where he is! Nobody does!" I shriek, lunging at her so fast that even _I _was surprised. Her eyes widened in fear as I pierced her disgusting, sickly skin with my gold dagger.

She screeched and held her shoulder. I snatched away her platter of Cheese 'n' Wieners and slammed her in the face with it. She shrieked again and stumbled to the ground, looking a bit dizzy. Although she looked like she was high, she still managed to grab my calf and sink her talons into my flesh. My whole leg felt like it was on fire. Small tears pooled in my eyes as I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the unbearable pain.

"Gah! Stheno, you idiot!" Euryale screamed, storming towards her sister, not even giving me a second glance. I took my chance and limped towards her, bashed her in the head with the silver Cheese 'n' Wieners platter, slashed my dagger across her neck, and stepped back as she disintegrated.

Breathing heavily, I rushed towards Stheno, who was clutching her face and screaming about how I had ruined it. She looked drunk, like the people that roamed the streets at night in New York. I plunged my knife into her heart, wincing as she gave one last final shriek of pain before she crumbled to dust.

I kicked the pile of monster dust and walked away from them, hoping I could get to the backyard door without falling down. I hadn't endured many wounds, just a deep gash on my palm, some other scratches I got when climbing that stupid tree, four deep gashes on my neck, and a pretty big, deep gash on my leg.

Joy.

I shakily turned the doorknob of the backyard door, stepping inside the warm, comforting house. I noticed that my family hadn't listened to me, and instead sat in the living room, looking worried. They must have gone back down as soon as I left. Susan noticed me walking in, and immediately ran up to me.

"Annabeth! What happened? Oh my gosh, we have to get you to the hospital! Why are you wet? Are you okay, do you-"

"I'm fine, just a few little cuts. I can handle it on my own; I have ambrosia and nectar," I interrupted her, annoyed by her "motherly concerns".

"No, I think Susan is right, Annabeth. Those aren't 'little cuts', and I'm not sure if ambrosia and nectar can help for something that bad," Dad said, his brown eyes filled with concern.

Matthew and Bobby screamed in horror once they saw my leg, as if it was cut off. I had seen way worse than that in the Battle of Manhattan, but it must have looked pretty gruesome to mortals. I rolled my eyes at the twins and looked up at my dad.

"Trust me, I'm fine. I don't need your help," I said, exasperated.

With that, I ran up the stairs, ignoring the pain. I shoved open my bedroom door, rummaged around in my nightstand for the nectar and ambrosia, and rushed to the bathroom. I thrust my hand under the sink, sighing in relief as the cool water came in contact with my skin. I watched the water wash away the dried blood, grimacing at the stinging.

Trying to get my mind off of the blood, I thought of what the gorgons had said about Percy. They apparently knew something about Percy, and where he could be.

_I should've tortured them until they gave me information about Percy!_ I thought, angry at myself for not thinking of it earlier.

Maybe my intelligence, pride, and sanity were slowly washing away, just like the blood.

**A/N: Well, that was a weird ending. Sorry for the crappy chapter, I'm not that good with fighting scenes…I hope it was okay. I tried not to take too many things from the Son of Neptune, such as their lines and stuff. But, I obviously had to use TSON for the descriptions and everything.**

**Soo, did you like it? I have a feeling that you're not going to enjoy it...AGH, I REALLY NEED TO BE CONFIDENT FOR ONCE. Anyway, REVIEW, please. They make me smile and stuff! I LOVE REVIEWS. Almost as much as I love Percy Jackson! By the way, I'm not going to be able to update for a while because I'm going to Disney World! ;) I LOVE THAT PLACE.**

**But, I'll try to think of ideas for the next chapter while I'm on vacation!**

**By the way, school ended for me on May 24, so I don't have any homework/projects/other crap to keep me from updating.**

**Answer The Questions of the Day, too! XD**

**QUESTIONS OF THE DAY: **

**What is the best book you have ever read? I really need some books to read this summer. :P **

**Did you like this chapter? If so, what was your favorite part? If you don't have a favorite part, what was the funniest/saddest/most impactful part?**

**I kinda want to start another story after I'm done with this one…it's going to be about those two weeks that Percy mentioned at the end of The Last Olympian, the ones that he said were the best two weeks of his life or something. Does it sound interesting, or is it over used?**

**P.S. If any of you are wondering about Dinner with the Jackson's, I have, like, a couple of paragraphs to go. STUPID WRITERS BLOCK. I've decided I'm going to be a nice person and insert a sneak peek:**

"_**Percy, would you like to tell us how we started going out?" I asked innocently, batting my eyelashes like Drew when she had tried to convince Percy to break up with me.**_

_**He glared at me and faced his parents, who were not so patiently waiting for us to tell them the very embarrassing, personal story of how we got together.**_

"_**We kind of…" he mumbled, looking around the room for inspiration. His mesmerizing green eyes landed on a huge grandfather clock that I had been resting on while Percy and I had been forced to make out. The corners of his mouth twitched up as he reached for my clammy hand under the table, interlocking our fingers. **_

…**Was that good? :/**

**~PercabethAndZebrasFTW~**


	11. IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT THE MARK OF ATHENA!

**A/N: Sorry, not a chapter!**

**I'm shaking right now, but I just want you guys to know that the COVER OF THE MARK OF ATHENA IS OUT, AND SO IS THE REST OF THE FIRST CHAPTER!**

**!**

**Go to Google and type in, "publishers weekly mark of Athena", and you should find it! Go to the Heroes of Olympus website for the full chapter! **

**READ THE ARTICLE, IT GIVES INFORMATION ABOUT TWO PEOPLE FIGHTING. *cough* THE PERSON I HATE THE MOST (HINT: NO PERSONALITY) and THE PERSON I LOVE THE MOST. *cough***

**Thank you, sanityisfiction for the information! I LOVE YOU.**

**TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK, I NEED TO OBSESS ABOUT IT WITH SOMEONE!**

**Please excuse me while I go squeal my head off.**

**I hope you guys aren't mad that it's not a chapter, I just wanted to let you guys know!**

**If you already knew about this, ignore this!**

**~PercabethAndZebrasFTW~**


	12. Awkward Bonding Time

**Words cannot describe how horrible and guilty I feel and how sorry I am. **

**I really don't know how I let myself even let three months pass by. It seriously feels like two weeks. And whenever I got all these PM's and reviews asking me where the heck I was and if I forgot about the story, my heart just broke. I would never forget about you guys. EVER. Because I love all of you. And I know that my lack of updates are getting really annoying. Trust me, I know. But keep in my mind that I'm only human, and I can't be perfect all the time. Now, I'm not making excuses here, because I know I'm an idiot. I'm not lazy; I just open Microsoft Word, get ready to type, and then my mind goes blank. I know what I want to write, I just…can't. Does that make any sense? I think some fanfic authors will know what I mean.**

**I reallyreallyreally hope you guys don't hate me. Seriously, I know I'm a stupid, idiotic person who rarely updates and all that crap, but I really hope you guys forgive me. I AM SO SORRY. I FREAKING HATE MYSELF NOW.**

**Anyway.**

**Just read the freaking chapter.**

**Enjoy! :D**

**(P.S. I was going to add a whole other part to this chapter, but that would have made it, like, 7,000 words, and I don't really think it fits well in this chapter. Plus, I kinda like the ending for this one.)**

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><p><em>At first, all I can see is gray.<em>

_Thick, dark gray fog engulfs me, completely blocking my vision. Everything around me is eerily quiet, except for the howling of the wind and the sound of my heart beating furiously._

_Something's wrong._

_It's too calm, too...peaceful. And everybody knows that calm and peaceful places are usually not so great places in Greek Mythology._

_I blink rapidly and squint, trying to see beyond the turbid fog, but it doesn't make much of a difference. _

_And the fact that its pitch black doesn't help, either. The only source of light comes from the jeweled sky and the bright moon. But when I look down at my freezing right hand, I notice that my ring is shining as well. _

_I walk further into the fog, hoping that it would clear enough for me to see where exactly I was standing. I see a dark silhouette of something in the distance. Something tall. Something...big. A tree, I soon realize. _

_Just as I had thought it would, the fog clears, and I can finally survey my surroundings. I seem to be standing in the middle of a green pasture, all by myself. It would have been relaxing and beautiful if everything wasn't so creepy and gloomy and dark. The whole place just seemed lifeless. _

"_Hello?" I call out, my voice echoing in my ears. _

_Nothing._

_I furrow my eyebrows and try again. "Hello? Is anybody out there?"_

_No answer._

_Goosebumps dot my skin as the wind moans once more. Every little sound makes my muscles tense and freeze in place. And then the thought that there could be a monster lurking in the shadows somewhere registers in my confused mind, and I begin to panic._

_What if there are too many for me to handle? What if I get hurt? Do I even have my dagger? _

_I fumble around and stuff my hands into both of my pockets, frantically searching for my dagger. All I find is lint and a penny. I check my back pockets, but there's nothing there either. I look down at my freezing legs, but it's not strapped to calf or thigh like it usually is. As my breathing quickens, I find it getting harder and harder to breathe. My nostrils sting as I inhale the icy, bitter, thin air._

_I nervously nibble my bottom lip as my eyes dart around the perimeter of the meadow, searching for any sign of life. But I knew there was no use in even looking. I was the only living thing there. _

_I sigh irritably and wrap my arms around myself as I stare off into the distance, the cold wind making my teeth chatter. I subconsciously wish I had a jacket of some sort, but I know that it wouldn't make a huge difference, anyway. For some reason, I'm dressed in the clothes that I wore the day the war ended- jean shorts splattered with blood and monster slime, and my old, torn Camp Half-Blood shirt. Well, what's left of it. The edges of the shirt are burnt to a crisp._

_But, somehow, there's still a lingering smell of sea salt. I can't decide if it comforts me, or saddens me. Probably the latter._

_My eyes dart around the enigmatic meadow, studying it more closely now that I am sure that I am completely alone. There are some flowers here and there, but they're all wilted. A willow tree stands not too far away from me, its branches twisted like distorted limbs. For some reason, I'm drawn to it, so I steadily walk towards the eerie willow. The wind whips the hair into my face, cutting my vision into strips, and I push it back behind my ear._

_It's bare of its leaves, which just adds to the spookiness of it all. The tree looms over me, and the gnarled branches move in such a way that it seems as if they're reaching for me, begging me to come closer._ It feels like the Sirens all over again.

_Suddenly, I hear a snap, like someone stepped on a twig or something. And then I hear footsteps, slow and steady. I gasp and whip around, my heart thumping. But there's still nothing there._

"_H-hello? I k-know you're out there!" I shout, my voice cracking. "This isn't funny!"_

_Complete and utter _silence.

_I gulp, trying to swallow away my fear. Daughters of Athena are _not _supposed to feel fear. And even though I haven't exactly acted like a daughter of Athena lately, a small part of me knows that I'm still supposed to at least act like one. I inhale and exhale slowly, trying to calm myself down and steady my heart rate._

_I take a deep breath again and try to remember what I was thinking before I heard the snap and the footsteps. The willow tree._

_I wipe my sweaty palms on my shorts and clench and unclench my hands into fists, trying to stop them from shaking. When I'm convinced I no longer feel afraid, I take three tentative steps towards the willow, my shoes making a loud crunching sound as I step on the withered leaves. I look down at my sneakers, just to make sure that I'm the one making the sounds._

_I tilt my head up to examine the tree once more, but freeze when I hear a horrible creaking sound. My heart rate, normal just a second before, picks up again. My eyes shift to the right, and I find myself a mere foot away from a humungous, contorted tree branch, and I start backing away from the tree. _

_I don't dare take my eyes off of the willow as I shy away from it. I soon realize that this is a mistake, because I trip over something, probably a tree root, and it sends me stumbling backwards. But as I try to regain my balance, familiar, strong arms catch me._

_The hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight as the person leans forward, their lips only centimeters away from my ear. My breathing quickens and my heart beats so fast that I feel like it's going to explode._

"_Relax. Don't you remember me?" the mystery guy whispers, his breath tickling my ear. _

_I freeze at the sound of his voice. It's achingly familiar, but it can't possibly be him. _

_I swallow the lump in my throat and slowly turn around, my eyes snapped shut. I'm too afraid to open them and be disappointed when he's not there. Mystery Person slides his calloused hand down my arm until he reaches my hand, which is clenched into a tight fist. I know I should be afraid of him, but the way he touches me sends sparks flying down my spine, and I somehow want to just sink into his arms._

"_Why are you so tense? Just relax and calm down, Annabeth. It's just me," he says quietly, attempting to pry my fingers open. There it is again, the voice. But I still don't want to believe it's him. It can't be. _It can't be.

_I take a shuddering breath and unfurl my fingers, allowing him to slip his warm hand in mine. I still refuse to open my eyes, though. _

_I resist the urge to immediately back away when I feel his face get closer to mine. As soon as Mystery Person lightly pecks the corner of my lips, I clamp my mouth shut, refusing to let him kiss me. I can practically imagine him pouting in that adorable way of his. I pretzel my arms across my chest triumphantly, a smirk tugging at the corner of my lips._

"_If you're playing hard to get, it's not working." I know he's grinning now._

"_Who said I was?" I ask teasingly, speaking for the first time. I curse myself for letting the words slip out of my mouth so easily._

_He doesn't answer, and instead lifts his hand and strokes my cheek with his thumb. I still don't open my eyes. _

"_You look…different. What happened to you?" he asks worriedly. _

_I take a shaky breath. "You know what happened to me."_

"_No, actually, I don't. I don't see why you're acting all wei-"_

"_Shut up," I hiss. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."_

"_Do you even know who you're talking to?"_

_I freeze. He's right. For all I know, I could be talking to a Cyclops. But I doubt a Cyclops would make me tremble just by simply touching me._

_We stand in silence for a few seconds, though it feels like hours to me. His thumb still absentmindedly brushes my cheek, and I don't protest._

_But then he breaks the silence and whispers, "Are you going to open your eyes anytime soon, Wise Girl?" _

_The sound of my nickname makes my gray eyes crack open involuntary. _

_When I'm met with unmistakably green eyes, I let out a peculiar sound that somewhat sounds like a mix between a gasp and strangled scream. I scramble backwards until my back slams against the willow tree, but I barely feel pain. I watch him with wide eyes as he steps closer to me._

_It's him. Oh gods, it's _him_. It really is him. Percy. _

_As soon as I attempt to choke out something, he silences me with a kiss. A jolt of electricity shoots down my spine, leaving me slightly trembling. I don't know if it's from the lack of oxygen or the dizziness I feel when his lips move in sync with mine. His lips are warm and comforting, unlike the cold, howling wind. Jumbled thoughts flood my mind._

_He's alive!_

_He's not dead!_

_He's here, kissing me!_

_He's not missing anymore!_

_Percy smiles, still kissing me, as if he can read my mind. We're pressed so tightly against each other that I can feel his heartbeat, the warmness that practically radiates off him, every single movement. As the cold wind tickles my cheeks, my arms reach up to wrap around his neck, but as soon as my numb fingers touch his skin, he immediately pulls away, like I'm completely disgusting. My eyebrows furrow in confusion, and just as I'm about to ask him why the Hades he ruined the perfect moment, his body flickers back and forth between numerous people._

_Athena, shaking her head at me. Chiron, looking sympathetic and pitying. The gorgons, each cackling like hyenas. Hera, smirking at me, and yelling something incoherent. Thalia, biting her lip and giving me a worried look. Luke, smiling at me, his eyes switching between blue and gold. Gaea, laughing like a madwoman and screaming something about me dying soon._

_And then, she dissolves and slips away, leaving me standing there, dumbfounded and heartbroken._

_My throat feels tight and dry, like it's closing up on me. But then I realize that the branches of the willow tree have somehow wrapped around my neck, strangling me. As a bolt of lightning erupts in the sky above me, thick sheets of icy water pour down, pelting my skin. I try to cry out, but I know there's no point in even trying. I kick and flail around, tears springing from my eyes. My face must be a disturbing shade of blue now. My throat burns, and it almost feels like it's bleeding._

_I paw at the branches, attempting to untangle them from my neck, but they remain firm around my neck._

_I gasp for air. I can practically feel myself dying, slowly. _

_I take one last, shuddering breath before my body goes limp, and my vision goes black._

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><p>I bolted upright in my bed, panting heavily. My hair was matted to my forehead, for I had broken out into a cold sweat. My trembling fingers reached up to cup my throat. Even though it was just a stupid nightmare, I still had felt like I was being strangled to death. I could hardly breathe.<p>

I let my face fall into my hands and slid my fingers back into my damp hair. I didn't know if it was wet from the shower I took the night before, or just sweat. I swallowed hard as I thought about the nightmare. This one was different from the others. Yes, most of them usually involved Percy, but not like _this_.

Because instead of watching him die or scream at me to leave him the Hades alone like most of the nightmares I had had before, we were actually having a good time in this one. For a very, very short time, but it was good, nonetheless. Okay, we didn't really talk, but I _kissed_ him. And that was something I hadn't done in what, two months?

I had a horrible feeling that there were many more months to come.

My body still shaking slightly, I swung my legs over the side of my bed and stood up. My room was still dark, and there was no sunlight peeking out behind my curtains, so I assumed that it was still night time. Slowly, I twisted the sliver doorknob of my bedroom door and slipped out into the dark hallway, making sure to make as little noise as possible.

Quiet as a mouse, I tiptoed down the stairs. I flicked on the lights in the kitchen, grabbed a glass from the cupboard, and filled it to the brim with ice cold water from the filter in the refrigerator. As soon as the top of the glass touched my dry lips, a voice from behind me spoke up.

"What are you doing up so late? Can't sleep?"

I jumped and almost dropped my glass, until it registered in my mind that it was my father, not some monster. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and turned around to face him, still cupping the glass of water.

"Gods, dad, you scared me half to death," I muttered.

He chuckled and sat down on one of the chairs that surrounded the kitchen table, motioning for me to do the same. I hesitated for a moment, but obliged and slipped into the chair across from him when I realized that there was no way for me to escape. I secretly hoped that he didn't want to have a little "father-daughter discussion" again, like the last time we were alone. (Which had probably been about a year ago.)

I avoided his eyes and instead watched the tiny water droplets slide down the glass. I could practically feel him staring at me, but I ignored him and continued staring at the oh-so fascinating water.

"So, is there a reason why you're up this late?" he asked, lightly tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. He usually would have just left me alone and decided that I just wanted something to drink, but he obviously knew something was up with me.

I paused, trying to think of a somewhat decent answer-slash-lie. I absolutely refused to tell anyone _anything_ these days, let alone my dreams and nightmares, so I had no idea why he would think that I'd actually consider telling him about my dream. Especially since our relationship isn't that great.

But then I thought about how distant and impassive I'd been acting lately, and I felt a little pang of guilt. Here he was, trying to talk to me, and I was completely ignoring him.

He cleared his throat, and I realized that I had been sitting there with a blank look on my face for god knows how long.

"Oh, sorry," I said softly. "I got a bit distracted there for a second."

"It's all right. Now, are you going to tell me exactly why you're up at two in the morning?"

My mind instantly thought up of a bunch of excuses I could use. _I'm jetlagged. I'm not used to sleeping here. The bed isn't as comfortable as the one in my dorm. The twins are snoring too loudly. There was a monster, and I had to kill it. _

I thought back to what Chiron had told me two days before I left to San Francisco. _Don't block out everyone, Annabeth. It's not going to make everything any better._

I finally caved in and sighed, my eyes still cast downwards. "I had a dream."

"A nightmare?" he asked.

_No, I had a wonderful dream about unicorns and rainbows, that's why I'm so amazingly happy right now, _I thought sarcastically.

I slid my hands under my thighs to keep myself from fidgeting and allowed myself to finally meet his eyes. "Yeah, it was a nightmare," I replied quietly.

"Care to share?" he asked, grinning at his little rhyme.

I cocked an eyebrow. For a split second, I actually considered telling him. But then I realized that the thought of telling my dad all about my nightmare was absolutely ridiculous, so I completely erased the thought from my mind. Just _telling_ him that I had a dream took me forever, and it was going to take even longer to explain to him what it was about.

"Um…I don't really feel like talking about it, Dad," I said apprehensively, tucking an errant curl that had slipped out of my loose ponytail behind my earring-less ear.

"Are you sure?" he asked, looking a bit disappointed.

I nodded my head quickly, widening my eyes for emphasis.

He furrowed his eyebrows and studied my face for a moment. "Annabeth, has something been…bothering you lately?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, my hands subconsciously reaching up to finger my Camp Half-Blood necklace.

_Yes! I'm going crazy! My boyfriend, who just might be dead, is missing. And we have to save the world for the second time. Oh, and there's a pretty good chance that I might die. Life is just wonderfully perfect right now! _I wanted to shout. But I didn't. As usual, I kept everything to myself and tried to look as normal as possible.

"Nothing at all!" I lied swiftly. "Why do you ask? Do I…look like something might be bothering me?"

"No, I just- never mind," he sighed. "I'm just a bit tired; I must be imagining things."

"Well, that must be it, because I'm fine, really. Except for that my little… predicament, everything has been just swell, actually. No need to wor-"

"Annabeth, you're a terrible liar," Dad interrupted.

My cheeks burned in embarrassment. I mentally cursed myself for being so obvious as he looked at me expectantly, waiting for the truth.

I hated that look. The "I'm disappointed in you" look. It always made me feel like I was a bad person or something. Which I wasn't. Lying doesn't necessarily make me a bad person. Right?

I took a deep breath. _Don't block out everyone._

"I know I've been acting a little strange, and I'm pretty sure you know why," I said quietly, looking at my hands. I paused for a minute, allowing my words to sink in. "But I don't want any of you to worry, because I really _am _fine. A little stressed, but fine."

I didn't think he knew that I was not only trying to convince him, but convince _myself _as well. Because I didn't feel fine. All I felt was misery. But it's kind of hard for someone _not_ to feel miserable when you feel like your heart has been ripped out of your chest and shredded into a million little pieces, and you know that the only person who could tape all the tiny pieces back together was missing, and possibly dead.

I finally met his eyes and gave him a small, weak smile. He smiled back, and I could tell it was genuine because his warm brown eyes shone, unlike mine.

"I'll try to worry less from now on, since you're so sure that you're completely fine," he said, chuckling softly, "but I want you to remember that you can tell me anything. If you ever need to talk, I'll _always_ be here."

Trying to swallow away the guilt that was creeping inside me, I forced a smile again and nodded.

His chair screeched as he scooted it back, stood up, and silently planted a kiss on my forehead. He went and turned to leave, until his eyes drifted down to my hoodie.

"By the way, nice hoodie." He smiled.

I furrowed my eyebrows and looked down at my hoodie. I hadn't even noticed I was wearing it. It was plain white, with the words "I LOVE NY" in bold, black lettering, but with a bright red heart instead of the words "love." Percy had bought it for me one day, when we were roaming around the streets after coming back from the movies.

"Oh, yeah-" I stopped when I looked up and realized that my father had already ascended up the stairs, leaving me sitting there alone. I sighed and slouched in my chair, propping my elbow on the table and resting my chin in my palm. A shiver ran down my spine when I thought about the nightmare, which I couldn't seem to forget about.

Maybe it's the way, somehow, I could feel my lips still tingling, which was ridiculous considering I had only kissed him in my dream. But I could still feel his soft lips against mine, the way I shivered when he touched me, his-

_I'm going delusional, _I decided. No normal person feels those things after a dream.

I let out a frustrated sigh/groan when a tiny voice in the back of my head reminds me that I myself am not normal. No normal teenage girl has to worry about her missing boyfriend. No normal teenage girl has to fear for her life. No normal teenage girl has to save the world. Again.

Pushing those pessimistic thoughts out of mind, I slipped out of my chair and lazily stumbled up the stairs and into my barely lit room. I'm about to flop on the bed and attempt to sleep, until I see a tiny white light peeking out under the clutter on my desk. My laptop.

I subconsciously walked over to it, opened it, and continued where I left off the night before- an article about the Greeks and Romans' relationship with each other. They couldn't possibly hate each other _that _much…right? Maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't kill someone if they accidently stumbled into their territory, if it wasn't their fault. They would be reasonable, right?

Somewhere, deep in the back of my mind, I know that all of this was wrong. I knew I was just torturing myself, with all this research and studying. I was worrying myself too much.

But I had to keep trying.

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><p><strong>*sigh* I just love writing awkward moments with Annabeth and her dad. Awkward bonding times are the best.<strong>

**So, what'd ya think? Good? Bad? Horrifying?**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY: PLEASE ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS:**

**One: What presents should Annabeth get on Christmas? (This question is very important! PLEASE ANSWER IT!)**

**Two: Have you ever been San Francisco/Do you live in San Francisco? If so, please tell me everything you can about it. I've never been there, so I can't describe the city and all that stuff.**

**Three: Do you have an idea of what Annabeth should do? Who she should meet? (Sorry folks, she can't magically see Percy!) Where she should go? (Nope, she can't go to Camp Jupiter, either.) So, basically, do you have idea for a chapter? I'm just curious to see if I can combine my idea and your idea and make an amazing chapter or something like that.**

**OMGEE, I'M READING DIVERGENT. EEP! BUT NO SPOILERS PLEASE! I'M ONLY ON PAGE 378. **

**AND ABSOLUTELY NO SPOILERS FOR THE DEMIGOD DIARIES! I HAVEN'T READ IT YET! D:**

**In the next chapter, Annabeth goes on a little trip with Susan, and receives an awkward Iris Message…You excited yet? Yes? No? Okay. **

**Okay, I have to go take a shower now. And do my French homework. CRAP. **

**BYE! SEE YOU SOON! HOPEFULLY! I WUV YOU ALL! (P.S. Sorry for the extremely long AN.)**

**200****th**** reviewer gets a special shout out! Do you guys think we can make it to 250 reviews? I mean, we DO have 123 followers for this story…can you all please review? **


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